Construction Begins On Hybrid Storage Facility In Jamaica

The northern suburbs of the Jamaican capital, Kingston

The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCO) has announced the start of construction on a new hybrid storage facility set to provide spinning reserve power to the country’s grid. The project, according to JPSCO, is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and will be completed by April 2019.

JPSCO held a groundbreaking event for its new storage project at the Hunts Bay Power Plant Substation last week.

The project is being constructed at a cost of US$21.6 million. It will feature a combination of flywheel storage technology and lithium-ion batteries, for a total energy storage capacity of 24.5 MW.

Swiss headquartered ABB is providing technology to the project, which aims to provide backup power to the grid in situations where solar and wind generation is interrupted.

“This is one of the most significant projects to be undertaken by JPS this year,” said JPSCO president and CEO, Emanuel DaRosa. “This project will be a model for other countries in the Caribbean and even outside of this region. ABB’s innovative technology will enable us to leverage clean renewables into our energy mix while securing grid stability and ensuring reliable power supply to consumers.”

Microgrid systems bringing together storage with solar and other forms of renewable generation are proving a popular solution for islands in the Caribbean region, which cannot easily connect to larger power grids.

In December, the Dutch island of Curaçao announced a tender for new solar + storage projects, while last year, a 450 kW smart grid project was brought online in Haiti.